Patterns of Cooling during Intense Heat

We 3 C's are consciously learning patterns of cooling in a time of intense heat.  Some are patterns of being in this little House and others are patterns of our daily practice. Are we perfect?  No.  Far from it.  But we are making steady progress. That means we are more comfortable, we use less energy, we save money, and we decrease our contribution to Global Warming.  And that, my Friend, is a very important thing. Here is a sampling:

• We chose to live in small house.
• We chose to install a high efficiency furnace/air conditioner when we moved in.
• The new windows that we installed are more efficient.
• Last year, we put in mini-blinds.  The installer recommended that the blinds be installed on the window frames as far from the windows as possible.  When closed, the blinds form an insulative block between the glass and the blinds.  The blinds have made a huge difference.
• We close the blinds on the "sun side" to deflect that warm air out.
• As long as the air on the outside is cooler, I keep the windows open.  When that air begins to feel warm, I close the windows and the blinds.
• On intensely hot days and especially during the middle of the day, almost all of the blinds are closed.  We may have a few blinds open away from the Sun.  While it is darker inside than out, that darkness has a "cavelike" feel and it actually feels nurturing and protective in intense heat.
• The thermostat on air conditioning is set for 81 degrees.  Yes, we do have air conditioning. While it may look like we yearn for Little House on the Prairie, we choose to keep and cherish some aspects of modern living.
• I do not like air conditioning.  I don't like its feel.  We only turn it on when the temperature in the house is around 81 degrees.  These days, the air is on from about 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.  I absolutely do not like to sleep under air conditioning.
• We try not to use the stove inside when it is so hot.  That heat just adds to the work that the air conditioning needs to remedy.  Plus, it is a pretty nutty mixture of demand for fossil fuels.  "We heat up the house, so we can cool down the house."  That just doesn't make any sense.
• These days, the demand for cooking in the house is high.  Those Green Beans are coming in.  Richard says we now have 70 quarts.  In as much as possible, we try to let the Beans (or large vats of boiling water) "cool down" outside.
• Some day, I hope that we will have a "canning kitchen" separate from the house.  This will help.
• We use the Solar Oven.  Melanie is taking the lead on this.  The Sun cooks! Some day, I would like to get a Rocket Stove. I haven't figured out the placement of that one yet.
• We eat cooling foods.  Salads top the list.
• We minimize our eating of Meat.  Somehow, during the summer season, Meat is "heavy".  Lighter foods just feel better.
• We wash clothes inside and dry them out.  We are careful not to expose bright colors or elastic to too much Sun.  I find it bizarre that some city developments will not allow residents to hang clothes outside.  What are they thinking? I think clothes on the line is art.
• We wear "cottons" which "breathe" in heat.  As a rule, we do not wear synthetics. They just don't breathe like cotton does.  Plus, we are into natural fibers.  Melanie and I wear light colored and lightweight blouses that are long sleeved. 
• And I don't go anywhere without my hat.
• If I am going to work outside, I show preference for shade.  I learned a useful skill in Egypt several years ago.  I can find and use just about any sliver of shade.  Shade makes a huge difference.
• We work early in the day and late in the day.  We are usually inside by 10 a.m.  We head back outside in late afternoon and evening.  These days it has been so hot that late afternoon is still too hot.  We have plenty of work to do inside too.
• I think these days, it is very important to get plenty of rest.
• We drink plenty of filtered water. The water may be cool but not intensely cold.